New season, new circumstances. That’s part of the reality for 2024-2025 Cathedral High School boys basketball. The bigger reality is the Irish have the same values and culture they have been building in recent seasons. And that matters around one of the state’s top programs these days. “It’s an extremely well-connected veteran group of guys,” Irish boys basketball coach Jason Delaney said of the ’24-25 Irish. “They compete. That’s the thing: They will compete to the bitter end of everything.” The Irish, the 2023 Class 4A state champions who finished 18-6 with a section runner-up finish in 2023-2024, were 9-4 through mid-January in 2024-2025. Two of their losses came to out-of-state power teams, with a veteran roster continuing a strong recent tradition as one of the state’s most consistent programs. “There’s a culture about things right now,” Delaney said. “There’s a way we do things. It’s a culture thing.” The Irish through mid-January were 3-2 against nationally-ranked teams with victories over Olentangy (Ohio) Orange, Orchard (Mich.) St. Mary’s and Carmel -- and losses to Norcoss (Ga.) and Great Crossing (Ky.). The Irish as of January 19 were ranked No. 10 in the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association poll. “It’s all a learning curve,” Delaney said. “I’m extremely pleased with our guys.” The Irish in 2024-2025 are led by: *Senior Brady Koehler (13.9 points per game, 6.1 rebounds per game, 2.8 assists per game), a 6-feet-9 swing player who has committed to play collegiately at Notre Dame. “He does a lot of things on the court,” Delaney said. *Junior Julien Smith (13.8 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 1.5 apg), a shooting guard who transferred from Mount Vernon and who Delaney called an “excellent scorer and all-around player.” *Junior Keaton Aldridge (11.0 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 3.1 apg). *Senior Deric Cannady (8.3 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 1.7 apg). *Senior Lebron Gough (7.6 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 2.8 apg). *Senior Aidan Hughes (7.6 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 1.5 apg). “Our whole starting five came back from last year,” Delaney said. “All the guys playing now have kind of grown up in the program and we got some young guys learning who when we turn it around next year they're ready to go. That’s the formula we have. “Every day in practice is where they're getting better.” Cannady and Gough were members of the 2023 state title team, with Delaney calling Hughes “our unsung hero.” “Our older guys have set the standard of where things are,” Delaney said. “You have to be willing to sacrifice in this program. You're not always going to get maybe what you want and guys are great with that – even our guys who are on the bench who haven't got in. “The energy and the cheering on each other and the chemistry hasn't changed, and that's hard to do especially being young, but you have to sacrifice. That’s our key word: sacrifice. That’s an easy thing to say until it's your turn to do it and these guys have done a really good job of sacrificing for each other.” The Irish after many seasons in Class 4A, Section 10 – traditionally the state’s toughest sectional – are playing this season in Class 3A, Section 10. I “It’s something different,” Delaney said. “[Perennial power Crispus] Attucks comes with us. They’re a Top 10 program in the state. It’s different, but it’s still a really good challenge. Class 3A is loaded this year. Everyone thinks you just drop down and it's going to be so much easier. It's just not. “There are so many good teams across the state no matter what the class is.” The Irish have prepared for a difficult postseason by once again playing one of the state’s toughest schedules, with four games through mid-January against nationally-ranked opponents. “We’ve played the hardest schedule we’ve ever played here,” Delaney said. “We’ve built this schedule to put our kids on a great platform, where they can be seen and play against teams from around the country – and to get ready for the ultimate goal, which is the state tournament – and to have some fun and build chemistry along the way. We’re doing that. “We could've taken an easier route and scheduled some teams that gave us wins but instead we decided to challenge ourselves. I'm very pleased where we're at.” Delaney said the Irish through the early weeks of the season have continued to develop into a “tight-knit” team. And a resilient one that will be tested when it’s time for the postseason. “The thing about this team is they don’t give up,” Delaney said. “They will continue to fight. We’ve had some setbacks, but they always come back better. They’re very good at seeing the ultimate goal of this whole thing. Not the obstacles along the way. “They're just locked-in together. You don't see this group over here and that group over here. They're all intermixed together. They don't separate themselves and that's a really good thing as well. They’re focused on the goal at the end.”